5 stress relieving activities| Do them in less than 10 minutes

Stress can be difficult to deal with at times, especially when it combines with a whole range of activities. It is not just about how you feel from inside or what your brain is thinking. For certain, that is one aspect of it but the story doesn’t end there. Stress can translate into a variety of physical symptoms that you might or might never notice in the first place. Common physical signs of stress include a headache, shivering, agitation etc.

With modern advancement in medical science what you have available is a range of stress relieving techniques. The field of neuroscience is researching on natural ways of reducing the stress that can be alternate to medications. People will tell you that napping works best, or in other cases doing some sort of physical activity. It really depends from person to person what way you opt for.

Yet, research findings have evaluated a few everyday activities that can for certain bring cortisol level down. It is important to note that the high cortisol level is responsible for putting a person under stress.

How to reduce stress in less than 10 minutes?

The activities that this article will mention are worthy of acknowledgment. They are effective in multifold ways. Firstly, they are easy to carry out and can be done anywhere at any time. Second, they take less than 10 minutes!

Now you can perform these activities to relieve yourself from stress that has piled up for the day.

Accepting that you are stressed

There is no harm in denying that you are stressed. Actually, you are doing yourself badly by sidelining it as “just another phase.” Acknowledge it. It is completely valid to feel bummed out at certain points in the day. By doing so, you can resort towards all those things that can help ease off the burden.

Accepting stress is one way your mind would try finding out ways to ease itself. It gives the opportunity to revitalize itself with a meaningful approach to grow. It is also important so the next time you are stressed out, you know exactly what you should be doing.

Give yourself time to ponder over things that have led you to be stressed. Whether it is because of a bad day at the office or something else. It is perfectly fine even if the reason for your stress happens to be extremely trivial. What might just appear trivial to you may not be the same for the other person. If by chance, you are unable to detect the exact cause, just give yourself a break.

Start chewing a gum

Yes, if you are stressed, have a chewing gum by your side. In a rather interesting study, it was revealed that chewing helps cope with stress. Go for scented over normal gums. They work better. Chew for almost 4 to 5 minutes for best results.

Yet, one important thing is to be kept in mind. Don’t chew just for the sake of completing it. Put yourself at ease and in a relaxed state of mind. If you start chewing vigorously then that might do no good to you.

Make a cup of tea

Here the reference isn’t towards black tea. Actually, black tea and coffee can be counterproductive in dealing with stress. For a lot of people, both of these drinks induce high levels of anxiety and palpations.

On the flip side, you can find a variety of stress-reducing tea that can help deal with excessive stress. These teas are loaded with supplements that work in lowering the cortisol level in the brain.

The benefit is not just in drinking tea. When you push yourself up to make one, even that action can be cathartic in a great sense. It is a way you distract yourself from all anxiety ridden train of thoughts.

The question that however arises is: what type of tea to make if not black?

Green tea works best. It contains a number of nutrients and antioxidants that help in bringing stress level down. Add a few drops of apple cider vinegar to optimize the results obtained.

While making a cup of tea may be an easy task, the effects may take longer than necessary. For some people, there are no visible signs of improvement until 90 minutes.

Make use of essential oils

You might have heard about aromatherapy but may not actually know what it actually is. Understandable, because the practice has gained prominence recently. This popular technique comprises of inhaling a number of essential oils that induce a soothing feeling in the brain. Do not get it wrong, they are not addictive or contain harmful substances!

There is a long exhaustive list of essential oils that can be used for aromatherapy. Common ones are mentioned below.

Lavender

Rose

Ylang Ylang

Orange Blossom

Sandalwood

These oils come either in raw form or are instilled in a diffuser. All you have to do is inhale the scent that is given out by these oils. Doing so can help calm the mind by lowering the cortisol level.

There is no particular restriction to which oil you should be using. It really depends on your own personal taste. Go for Rose oil if you are fond of the rose smell. If sandalwood reminds you of your childhood then you might just opt for that. If you have the oil in raw form then that requires a bit of effort. Pour three to four drops onto a clean cloth or cotton pad. Afterward, breathe in deeply for about nine to ten times. You will instantly find a soothing effect that is induced in your body.

Start stretching

There should be no compromise on physical exercise as it is considered to be the best natural remedy. However, time can be a big issue for a lot of people. In that case, it becomes pertinent to look for other viable easy alternatives. Getting up from your desk and start walking is one option. If that sounds like a lot to you then stretch yourself for almost 10 minutes. The interesting part is that even when you don’t feel like getting up, you can stretch while being seated. What matters is that you actually do so.

Stretching helps in dealing with any sort of physical discomfort you might be exhibiting due to stress. It takes away the pain and puts the body at a lot of ease.

Samuel has been part of Top Health Journal for quite a while now. He has immense interest in medicine and thoroughly enjoys writing about this theme. His philosophy is: write simple and short, always assuming your reader to be a layman who knows nothing about the topic!